


She was one of the few

by Where_do_we_go_from_here



Category: Downton Abbey
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-12
Updated: 2020-06-01
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:28:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,080
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23614510
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Where_do_we_go_from_here/pseuds/Where_do_we_go_from_here
Summary: How lady Sybil Crawley and Thomas Barrow met and grew to become friends.
Kudos: 16





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The first two chapters serve more as prologues so are shorter.

April 1909

Sybil wasn't surprised about what had happened. However, you'd think with a house full of servants and a family that claimed to love her, something must have crossed one of there minds. The letter was very clear. "I'm coming home, please could someone come and meet me at the station first thing on the 12th." No reading between the lines was necessary

She had waited at the station for almost an hour now and, from the looks of things, no one was coming. There was no way on earth, Sybil was going to stay here for all that longer. She had already seen 3 suspicious people and that was 3 too many. She reminded herself that if she got robbed, kidnapped or murdered, it wasn't her fault. It was her parents fault for sending her to boarding school in the first place and again for not bothering to come and get her.

They had already made her take the train, by herself. Sybil wondered whether this would have happened if Mary or Edith had been in her situation. Of course neither of them were sent to boarding school on account of being educationally or behaviourally challenged.

It wasn't too far to Downton Abbey. She'd walked it before. However, the sky was looking very angry at that moment. That didn't matter because the 4th suspicious person had just walked onto the platform. If her family had no intention of coming to her she would just have to go to them. She was grateful she had chosen to wear boots as her regular school shoes wouldn't have survived the walk home.

Sybil quickly clutched her bag and waltzed towards to end of the platform, taking extra care to avoid the suspect in question. As she passed him she lifted her hat over her eyes slightly, to reduce the possibility of making eye contact. Although if anyone was in the business of kidnapping children, she wouldn't be hard to spot. Aside from the fact she was wearing a school uniform, she also had a small frame.

After exiting the station and doing one last sweep of the area to make sure she wasn't being ridiculous, she set off through the village. It was unusually quiet for the middle of the day, but to Sybil that meant the smaller the chance of someone leaping out from a bush with a knife.

About 10 minutes into her expedition, the sky decided it was very angry indeed and was transformed into the kind of weather that makes people want to get the washing in extremely quickly. In a few minutes, it had gone through just about everything Sybil had on. It was only a few more miles. She had already contracted influenza and scarlet fever in the past so what was there left to catch.

After almost an hour of walking she arrived at the start of the estate. There was still a mile to go but if anything happened to her her from here on someone would find her.

The path was hard to walk on and Sybil found herself slipping in mud. “There must have been several days of rain here” She thought to herself “there's almost nothing left.” And between wet undergarments clinging to her body and trying not to fall her face, she began thinking of why it was no one had come to the station. Eventually, she narrowed it down to three possible reasons. The first was that they hadn't received the letter. The second was that they had read the letter and they were already doing something that was more important than their youngest daughter. And the third was that they had received the letter and just didn't care.

There were so many thoughts whizzing about her mind that she didn't notice when someone came speeding past her. And, due to him being much taller than her, was instantly knocked to the ground. He was pale, had very dark hair and was of a similar age. She didn't know who he was or why he was headed to the abbey in such a rush, but it hopefully wouldn't take too long to find out.


	2. Chapter 2

“This is it.” Thought Thomas to himself “It's going to be fine.” He had been telling himself this all day. Along with reminders that he had earned this position by his own merit. No one knew anything about him. That's why it was going to be fine.   
He had arrived on the train that morning. He had a vague idea about where he was going. The man who had interviewed him last week had told him where to go, but not how to get there, as the interview wasn't as the Abbey. This was especially inconvenient as he was already behind schedule and showing up late to your first day of work usually makes people wonder why they hired you in the first place.   
Thomas left the platform to see if he would have any luck with road signs. These proved unhelpful. He was considering asking someone for directions but the village seemed surprisingly empty. The sky was particularly dark and it seemed to have no intentions of brightening up. If it rained, not only would he be late, but wet as well.   
He made his way back onto the platform to see if there was a guard or station master who could help him on his search. Upon finding the platform next to empty, aside from about half a dozen people and a girl who looked as though Thomas was about to pull a rifle on her, he decided to try his luck at the office. If it fact existed.   
He walked into the incredibly smoky waiting room and in the direction of the ticket office, where he was greeted by a man who clearly didn't want to deal with Thomas at that moment in time.   
“Do you know how to get to Downton Abbey.” Thomas said, trying to sound as professional as possible.  
“keep going down that road,” he half gestured towards the door “ remember to turn keep turning left. There should be a gate somewhere that says private land. If you keep walking for about 10 more minutes you should see a building that looks like an Abbey.”  
“Thank you,” Thomas cut him off “ I think I can take it from here.” He promptly left the building.   
He walked out into the street, only to find it raining. Properly raining. At least it gave him an excuse for why he was late. You can't sacked for getting caught in the rain and loosing your way.   
The man at the station hadn't been perfectly clear about what he was supposed to do. Thomas made the decision to just go left. And if he got lost, eventually someone would find him. He'd never heard of anyone dying of exhaustion in a quaint Yorkshire village and he certainly had no intention of being the first. He would just have to find his own way. It wouldn't be the first time.  
He was surprised when they'd given him the job. Thomas didn't expect them to hire a boy who was barely 16 with nothing but a reference and the claim of being a hard worker. The reference being from his school teacher, who had taught him all the necessary skills needed to work in service. He should have asked his father, but he never would have done it. While he was, technically, his previous employer, he wouldn't have encouraged Thomas going to the interview in the first place.   
Of course, he could have gotten the job because no one had shown up.   
Thomas waved that thought out of his mind and focused instead on the time. This was present in his mind for the rest of the time he was aimlessly wondering about the countryside. Looking down at his watch, he noticed it had stopped due to rain water getting inside. He was particularly alarmed to notice that the time it had stopped at was the time he was supposed to arrive.  
By some miracle, he managed to find the private property sign and, by default, the land that accompanied Downton Abbey. Now that he knew what he was doing, Thomas decided this would be a good time to run.   
The second he made contact with the path he knew he was in danger of falling on his face. He was, however, wearing a robust shoe. And showing up covered from head to toe in mud was better than not showing up at all. As he was running, hoping that it was only the souls of his feet that would end up on the ground, he saw a girl walking ahead of him. The same dark hair and blue coat as the girl he saw at the station.   
Thomas was certain she would move out of the way for him. She would definitely notice him. She had to. He was making such a racket she wouldn't be able to avoid it. She was going to move out of the way any second now. He thought about yelling but he was too out of breath. He tried his best to avoid her but it was too late. They collided and the girl ended up on the ground. He hoped to God she wasn't important as this could definitely put a dent in his record.


	3. Chapter 3

“What in the name of -” Was all Sybil managed to say as she removed her face from the ground. It was going to leave a bruise. The boy who had hit her was carrying a case which had caught the side of her face during the fall, leaving a cut. If this wasn't going to help her guilt trip her family, what was? She had to pay the expense of a potential concussion but Sybil went to boarding school. She knew what pain felt like.   
Sybil didn't think the boy in front of her looked nearly as panicked as he should have been. Instead, he ran at the speed of someone who needed to get away from it all. I'm not saying this was the deciding incident, but it contributed greatly to Sybil's belief that some men, deep down, were useless.  
There were many reasons he could've run off like that. He could have been in a rush. He could have been startled. He could've been a murderer. She scrunched up her eyes and tried to push the thought out of her mind. Although there was a recurring image of him with a knife over her her blood covered body.   
She walked up to the house by herself, making a point of looking more worn out. She tried to wipe the mud from her cheek to reveal the red mark and made no effort to remove any blood from her face. She considered putting her coat in her bag so she would be standing there in nothing but a school tunic and a cardigan but that seemed a little too harsh. Instead she took out her plait so her thick dark hair was loose, looking particularly wild.   
Sybil made the decision not to knock on the door. It was better not to make a fuss. If she knocked on the door a member of staff would answer. Then they would insist she see Dr Clarkson when the most that would happen at this rate would be to contract the common cold.  
She slipped quietly through the door. She had been taught by her sister, Mary, how to get past the lock. She had learned from cousin Patrick, who had a habit of getting up to mischief. Once inside she was greeted by an empty hall. Perfect! There were only a few places where her family could be and it wouldn't be hard to find out.  
Unfortunately, she wasn't alone. Mr Carson, the butler, emerged and proceeded to make a series of Oh my's and my goodnesses. Sybil took this to mean “What the hell do you think your doing in my entrance hall? Oh my word, Lady Sybil what are you doing here? Why do you look like you've been dragged through a hedge backwards?”   
She was mentally preparing a long drawn out argument but was unable to give it as one of the maids appeared from behind the servants door and spoke “Mr Carson. You are wanted Downstairs. I can deal with this.” Sybil didn't recognise her. It was likely she had arrived while Sybil was away at school. She had a kind face with blonde hair and blue eyes. Although it was clear this woman had no idea who Sybil was.  
Carson walked towards the door, clearly annoyed by the situation, leaving the two alone. Sybil didn't know if she was going to get yelled at or offered a cup of tea. Before she could be presented with an answer, she decided to finish the mission she had set out to complete.  
“I'm sorry. I'll explain myself to you later. I'm Sybil. Please can you tell me which room my family are in. If I was an intruder Carson wouldn't have left.” She threw that bit on at the end as extra support.   
“In the sitting room!” said the maid, sensing she was in a rush.   
Sybil gave some sort of thanks and hurried towards the sitting room. She threw open the door and was treated the shocked faces of several family members. She shoved her bag to one side and pulled her coat off and onto the floor. She inhaled deeply. She had never gone on an angry rant before. She had the strangest feeling she was going to enjoy this.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> some minor swearing near the beginning. Nothing too serious but I thought I should throw up a warning.

“SYBIL!” Sybil's mother rose from her chair at close to the speed of light. From the look on her face you would have thought she was on fire. Instead she was covered in blood, dirt and an exceptional amount of rain water.  
After about five seconds of gasping and wondering what the hell was going on, Sybil rose her hand towards her family and the room fell silent. It was something her grandmother always did. It was one of Sybil's goals in life to have as much subtle power as the Dowager Countess and secretly looked forward to old age.  
She took a deep breath and began, in her most annoyed, most frustrated voice that could have been summed up quite nicely with the phrase “This is complete bollocks.” Unfortunately, Sybil was a lady and that sort of language would have her publicly executed. She would have to use another method. Subtle power.  
“I'm fine, by the way. The walk from the station was a only a few miles. And it didn't rain the whole time. Out of curiosity, you don't happen to know the statistics of child murder in the Yorkshire countryside, do you? Me neither. No don't get up, I'll see to myself. Sorry for getting blood on my school uniform. Although with the state of that place I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner. Did I interrupt you, having your morning tea? Oh look, there's an empty cup next to my letter. Which has been opened and presumably read, telling you precisely when I, your youngest and most frail daughter, would be returning to you, my loving family. I'll take myself to bed to avoid a flare up of the scarlet fever I have only recently recovered from.”  
She turned to face the wall so no one would see her cry. She wiped away the tears and turned back around. “  
“Train station. 10 o'clock. 12th April. 1909. I thought you cared. Even though you sent me away.” She walked to the door.  
“12th of April?” Her mother said. Everyone in the room was looking exceedingly puzzled, apart from Edith who, at age 16, was usually dead to the world until about 1 o'clock in the afternoon. “Sybil, my darling, you said the 13th.”  
“Why would I put that I was coming on one day, when I knew perfectly well I was coming on a different one.”  
Both Lord and Lady Grantham moved in on the table with the letter. Along with Mary and Sybil, they scanned the letter until they reached the back where Sybil had written. P.S. I am coming home for a few weeks. Please meet me at the train station at 10 o'clock on the 12th of April.  
“Mama, I don't know what your talking about. That says 12.”  
“ That's a 3, my dear.” Her father said.  
“I told you your handwriting was awful.” Mary said, throwing herself onto the sofa and declaring the fuss over.  
“Sybil, dear, I'm so sorry about this misunderstanding.” Lady Grantham put her arm around her daughter.  
“Misunderstanding!?” Sybil cried, throwing her arms in the air. She took the piece of paper and marched towards Edith, who had spent the past few minutes rolling her eyes and looking ashamed.  
“Tell me what that says!” Edith jumped as the letter was thrust in her face.  
“ I don't care, Sybil.”  
“I care.” Edith reluctantly took the document.  
“I don't know.” Her sister raised one eyebrow. “I suppose it could be a 2. Although it does look like a 3, sort of. Although... It's illegible.” The letter was handed back to Sybil, who looked most annoyed.  
“I'll be in my room. Don't try and talk to me for at least half an hour.” She scooped up the damp remains of her bag and left rather swiftly. At least there was no question of whether or not her family cared about her. Although, they hadn't tried to stop her from leaving.  
She couldn't help feeling slightly stupid. Looking back over the situation, it was obvious what had happened. Considering how many times her teachers, friends and previous governesses had said it was impossible to read anything in her hand, Sybil was surprised she hadn't come to this conclusion sooner.  
She considered eavesdropping on her family's conversation through the door but that wouldn't be right. However she didn't go up the stairs to her room. She went down. She needed to apologise to Mr Carson and get properly acquainted with the house maid. Also the staff would provide a world of second opinions on the 2 or 3 debate.  
But the people downstairs were having their own debate. A new member of staff had just arrived and it was being discussed whether or not he was completely up to scratch after all.


End file.
